1. Field of the Invention
This Arena Baseball Game invention pertains to games and more particularly to a scaled down and simplified electronic managed, operated, umpired baseball game system. The electronic interactive and human player game version for indoor and outdoor playing, but dominantly designed for our innovative facility. The invention relates to an apparatus and method for playing a new Simulcast cross platform game incorporating spectator interaction with many aspects of Rounders, Knickerbocker and Negro league “Night” baseball innovation.
2. Description of the Related Art
As America's favorite “You make the Call” spectator sport, the game of baseball has remained essentially unchanged over the years, excepting some minor changes in rules and player equipment. Our invention breaks prior barriers and eclipses early efforts of fan interaction by stimulating multiple senses simultaneously.
Traditional baseball or softball facilities and rules simply do not lend to a game that is fast paced wherein a full game can be played in a relatively short length of time. In today's fast paced society, a baseball-like game that could provide an exciting rate of play, with a game clock, in approximately two-hours, would fit well into busy schedules.
In addition, Foster's U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,443 details an Arena Football game played on smaller dimension football field, Henderson creates baseball games of chance U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,319, Byrd designated a zone area U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,271, Cavallaro U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,530 system adds a graphical image of the strike zone to a video or other image of a baseball game and Benjamin eliminates the need for a home plate Umpire U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,967. Inselberg U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,903 suggests marketing through interactive devices, while Spanton U.S. Pat. No. 7,632,186 devised a spectator mode for a video game. Where Fleming U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,633 and Edberlein U.S. Pat. No. 7,092,730 contribute elements of simulcast and cross platform respectively. Gulick U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,697 describes a phosphorous golf ball which emits a glow of light, Digman U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,654 produces a Glow in the Dark rosin bag, and Kelly U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,018 of Tronco Corp. presents a simulated arcade baseball game where speed over time is measured velocity.
In this embodiment, a Web site is established on the WWW by the game operator via an ISP (Internet Service Provider) using HTML, XML or any other suitable programming language. The web site home page is an inquiry electronic form page to register to play the game and a simulated playing field on the video monitor. The procedures for the use, navigation, input of data and interaction with the web site are well known in the industry such as point-and-click on hyperlinks with a computer mouse computer input device, filling in electronic forms, sending/receiving email, speaking to the web site and listening to the web site via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) The players may communicate in question and answer format via a voice synthesizer connected to a processor. The web page input data is evaluated by the game operator. The input data may be stored in computer memory, statistics kept, virtual teams formed with other online players, etc. in a like manner of the current virtual games available on the Internet today, well know in the art.
The invention may be practiced with a computer system in communication (either wired or wireless) with at least one other computer or at least one remote input device further comprising sufficient hardware, software, accessories and peripheral devices or such gaming computer consoles interacting with other optional entities' data to generate input/output via cell phone, smart phone and/or email or other smart device. A smart device is hereby defined as a cell phone integrated with a computer or a computer integrated with a cell phone.